Your MOT checklist – things to check before an MOT

Regardless of whether you bought your car outright or made use of car finance to make budgeting easier, at some point during your ownership, you will need to take your car for an MOT.

The good news is that, if your car is brand new, it won’t require an MOT until it’s three years old. However, if you own a used car, its MOT may very well be just around the corner, and you might be worrying about what work will need doing to see it through another year of motoring.

Fortunately, there are a few useful tips and tricks you can follow to save you both time and money. These include checks for things that will fail an MOT, and the quick fixes you can carry out yourself to increase the likelihood of a pass.

But before we go into those, let’s take a look at what an MOT test is for, and the various MOT failure categories that decide whether or not your car is fit to drive.

What is an MOT?

An MOT test is an annual check-up designed to make sure your car is still roadworthy. MOT itself stands for Ministry of Transport and is the government’s way of limiting the number of unsafe cars on the roads.

The test itself involves dozens of checks that cover the majority of your car. The condition of each car part will then be checked against the MOT failure categories to determine whether or not your car passes or fails.

What is checked on an MOT?

Generally speaking, your MOT will cover the following areas:

· Lamps

· Reflectors

· Electronics

· Steering

· Suspension

· Brakes

· Tyres

· Road wheels

· Seatbelts

· Body structure

· Exhaust

· Fuel emissions

· Your view of the road

However, an MOT does not include checking the condition of your car’s engine, clutch, or gearbox. So, while these three parts aren’t things that will fail an MOT, if you suspect there’s a problem with any of them, it’s best to take your car to a mechanic for a check-up.

What are the MOT failure categories?

When it comes to an MOT, your car can only pass or fail – there is no middle ground or grace period. This pass or failure will be determined by the use of the following MOT failure categories:

· Dangerous – Any defects marked as dangerous will fail your car’s MOT immediately and instantly class your car as unroadworthy.

· Major – A major defect will also mean your car fails its MOT, but they won’t class your car as unusable, allowing you to get these problems fixed and your car retested at a later date.

· Minor – For the most part, your car is likely to suffer a few minor defects between check-ups thanks to yearly wear and tear. While an indication of things that should be fixed, minor defects will not fail your MOT.

· Advisory – Any advisory warning does not classify as a defect, but they are an indication that the issue in question could become a defect in the near future.

What are the things to check before an MOT

To give your car the best chance of passing, it’s worth considering what is checked on an MOT and carrying out a few tests before you book it in.

This might let you catch any potential defects before your MOT, allowing you to get them seen to beforehand. With that in mind, here are 8 things you can do before your next MOT to give your car the best chance of passing first time.

1. Clean your number plates

For your car to pass its MOT, the examiner must be able to clearly read its number plates, so make sure you give both of them a quick wash before going to the test centre. And if your current plates are damaged, it’s best to get new ones that adhere to the legal number plate requirements.

2. Check all of your tyres

For your tyres to be considered legally roadworthy, each must have a tread depth of 1.6mm in a continuous band around the central three-quarters of the tyre. Any tyres with less than this will be marked as an MOT fail.

Fortunately, a quick way to check the depth is to place a 20p piece in the tread, if it covers the outer band of the 20p coin, then your tread is above the legal limit. If not, you’ll need to replace your tyres.

On top of this, it’s also a good idea to check your tyre pressure matches the legal standards as well.

3. Check all your lights and indicators

Working lights are crucial to ensure your car passes its MOT, so make sure all the lights are working properly before you head to the test centre.

This includes your car’s headlights, brake lights, indicators, hazard lights, reversing lights, and even the lights above the number plates. These can be done on your own but it’s best to get someone to help you check the brake and reversing lights to make things easier.

4. Clean and repair your windscreen and mirrors

Naturally, you’ll want to check your windscreen and mirrors for any visible cracks or chips and get these repaired. You’ll also want to remove any windscreen stickers, as these could cause your car to fail if they obstruct your view in any way.

Besides this, you should check your screen washer jets are working correctly, and that the reservoir is topped up with the right mix of water and screen wash.

And finally, check the rubber is good on the wipers and that they can still clean your front and back windscreens properly. If there are any tears, you’ll want to get your wipers replaced or repaired.

5. Top up your fuel and engine oil

Although your engine won’t be tested on your MOT, it’s best to top up your engine oil and fuel so that your car makes it through its MOT test. The engine needs to be run continuously to check exhaust emissions and the test centre might turn you away if there’s not enough fuel to run these tests.

6. Double-check your seatbelts

As seatbelts are a key safety feature of your car, you want to make sure your car’s seatbelts all clip in and unclip properly. Give them a sharp tug to make sure they lock properly, check for cuts and frays, and ensure they retract fully with no issues. If there are any problems, again, get them replaced or repaired.

7. Clean and declutter your car

While cleanliness is not required to have your car pass its MOT, if your car is cluttered and excessively dirty, your examiner has the right to refuse to test your car. So, it’s best to give it a once-over before you head down.

8. Test your horn

Last, but certainly not least, be sure to give your horn a test to ensure that it’s working properly.

What happens when a vehicle passes its MOT?

If your car passes its MOT, you’ll be given an MOT certificate from the test centre. This may include details of any minor or advisory problems you should be aware of, as they could lead to a failure at the next test, and you should look to get these fixed as soon as possible. This certificate will then mark your car as legally roadworthy for the next year.

What happens if a vehicle fails its MOT?

If your car fails its MOT, you’ll need to make the necessary repairs before a new MOT certificate can be issued. In some cases, this may mean that you won’t be able to drive your car from the centre until the required repairs have been made, as, legally, you can’t drive a vehicle on the road that has failed its MOT.

What happens if I take the MOT test early and it fails? Can I still drive until the old MOT expires?

The good news is that if you do take your car's MOT early, and it fails, you will still be able to drive away from the test centre if your previous MOT is still in date; unless the examiner finds a dangerous defect.

However, you will need to book a retest as soon as possible for when its current MOT runs out, and then get any noted defects taken care of beforehand so it can pass.

If your car’s MOT is coming up, it’s best to take some time to go through these 8 steps to give your car the best chance of passing. If, however, you’re looking to upgrade your car, then the team at Zuto might be able to help.

Here at Zuto, we’re experts in car finance, from hire purchase finance to bad credit car finance, our team will work with you to find a plan that best suits your budget. Get in touch today to see how we can help or visit our blog for more insightful pieces like this one.